Following the latest wave of legislative changes to Singapore’s employment landscape, Randstad successfully launched the Workpocket 2016 Legislative Update.

The inaugural edition of the Workpocket was launched as a free resource in August 2015 as the definitive HR guide aimed to help navigate the Singaporean employment landscape.

Highlighting the latest labour market trends, human resources issues and developments in employment legislation, the Randstad Workpocket draws on best practices from within Asia and other mature markets around the world.

This latest interim Workpocket Legislative Update looks at the latest legislative changes impacting the employment landscape which sees the National Trade Union Congress (NTUC), government and private enterprises working together to meet Singapore’s social and economic needs in critical areas.

Jaya Dass, Country Director – Randstad Singapore noted, “The 2016 Legislative Update comes in response to several changes to the legal and regulatory landscape and helps organizations ensure that they stay up to date with the latest legislation that impacts their business regardless of their size or industry.”

Highlights from the Workpocket 2016 Legislative Update include:

Shaping a modern and flexible workforce

Raising the participation rate of Singapore’s resident labour force has been a key focus of employment law reforms. Strong gains gave already been made, with workforce participation up 2% since 2012, mostly deriving from more women and mature workers remaining or returning to employment.

The latest changes are aimed at sustaining this upward trend and include initiatives such as:

• Encouraging employment of mature workers by pushing back retirement age to 67
• Increasing the rates for the Special Employment Credit which encourages employers to employ mature workers
• Increasing CPF contribution rates to encourage employees aged above 50 years to stay longer in the workforce

Enhancing wages and employee protections

The Workpocket Legislative Update offers an overview on the following measures and regulatory changes:

• Wider adoption of the progressive wage model
• Accountability measures with itemised payslips, key employment terms and detailed employment records
• Amendment of the Industrial Relations Act to provide greater union representation for PMEs for collective bargaining, unfair dismissal and disputes

Balancing foreign expertise and maintaining core Singaporean workforce

New initiatives have been launched to ensure that Singaporeans are fairly considered for job opportunities and support SMEs facing talent shortages through flexibility with their foreign worker quotas. Topics covered in the Legislative Update include:

• Updates to the Fair Consideration Framework
• New scheme to allow SMEs hiring flexibility (what is hiring flexibility?) to become more productive, innovative and manpower-lean
• Launch of the Lean Enterprise Development (LED) scheme to help SMEs who have potential to be scaled up to create transformational changes in their industry

In addition to providing guidance on workplace legislation in Singapore, the Workpocket will help you find the right HR solutions quickly and easily. It’s just one of the many resources Randstad provides to help shape the world of work, and make your business a great place to work.

Read more HR NEWS in ASIA